Born Again

One of the great themes of Christianity is being born again.  Today is the day I accepted Christ in 1976 as an eighteen year old college freshman.  This is the day I was born again.

As a biology major in a state university I was exposed to the theory of Darwinian evolution and challenged with a world view that had no God.  It startled me as I couldn't imagine what life would be like without a creator and a God who holds all things together.  This also caused me to ask questions of what life is all about.  Why are we here?  Where are we going?  What is the meaning and purpose of life? 

It was at this time of questioning life itself that I attended a church service at home with my family one Sunday.  The pastor knew me somewhat and wanted to ask me some questions after the service.  He asked me how I was doing in school and how life was going.  I told him fine, and "don't worry about me, because I believe in God."  I wasn't like the professors at the university, I thought.  He said that's good, but there was more he wanted to know.  

He then proceeded to ask me that if I were to die today, for some unforeseen reason, did I know for sure I would go to heaven?  I knew in an instant that I didn't know the answer, I wasn't sure where I would be if I died.  In fact, that was like the questions I was asking myself regarding the meaning and purpose of life.  And this was just like those questions, where will I be when I die?  

The pastor graciously explained that it's not just enough to believe in God, but the Bible teaches a person needs to accept Jesus as his Savior.  It is only through Christ that a person can be saved and go to heaven.  As Jesus describes in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  He explained that Christ came to the earth and lived a perfect life without sin so that he could pay the penalty of our sins.  He died on the cross and he became the substitutionary atonement for us.  Then after three days he rose again from the grave and he can give us eternal life after our death as well.  But we need to accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.

These words struck me like an alarm.  The pastor asked me if I believed it was true.  I sat there for what seemed like a long while as I thought about what he had said.  Could it be true that Jesus rose from the dead?  I had the image in my mind of the stone rolled away from the grave that I had seen as a kid in Sunday school, and I asked myself, is it true?  And I realized it is true, it couldn't have just been made up.  My conscience confirmed that God did exist and he did send his Son into the world to save people from their sins, for all who call upon his name.  

I really didn't know what to do at first after that day.  I kept a pretty low profile for some time as I wasn't sure if I understood it all, or if anyone else would believe me.  Today I can say after many years that indeed Christ is the Savior and Lord who has come into the world and we must be born again.  Jesus explained this to Nicodemus in John 3:3, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Jesus graciously gives people new lives of faith and eternal life if they call upon him and walk in his precepts.  Only he can give new birth to a Spiritual life, only he can cause a person to be born again.  And praise God that he did.